Saturday, March 26 is Purple Day, a time to recognize the effect epilepsy has on millions of people around the world. It is estimated that 1 in a 100 people worldwide have epilepsy. Of those, one in three require surgery to prevent a lifetime of seizures. Purple Day was created in 2008 by Cassidy Megan, a girl from Nova Scotia, to get people talking about epilepsy in an effort to dispel myths and inform those with seizures that they are not alone.

Insulin has long been known as the hormone which controls the body’s sugar levels: humans who lack or are insensitive to insulin develop diabetes. Although insulin is also made and released in the brain, its effects there have remained unclear.

The Neuro has been at the forefront of epilepsy treatment and research for over half a century. The “Montreal Procedure” developed by Dr. Wilder Penfield and colleagues revolutionized the surgical treatment for epilepsy, allowing thousands of patients to start new lives free of seizures. The use of electroencephalography (EEG) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for the study and treatment of epilepsy was pioneered at The Neuro.

An international team of researchers has discovered a significant genetic component of Idiopathic Generalized Epilepsy (IGE), the most common form of epilepsy. Epilepsy is a neurological disorder characterized by sudden, uncontrolled electrical discharges in the brain expressed as a seizure.

The Neuro has been at the forefront of epilepsy treatment and research for over half a century. The “Montreal Procedure” developed by Dr. Wilder Penfield and colleagues revolutionized the surgical treatment for epilepsy, allowing thousands of patients to start new lives free of seizures. The use of electroencephalography (EEG) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for the study and treatment of epilepsy was pioneered at The Neuro.

William Feindel, O.C., G.O.Q., MDCM, D. Phil
1918 – 2014
The Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University and the McGill University Health Centre regret to announce the death of William Feindel, O.C., G.O.Q., MDCM, D. Phil., one of Canada's most distinguished neurosurgeons and The Neuro’s third director. Dr. Feindel passed away quietly at The Neuro on Sunday night following a brief illness. Our deepest sympathies go out to Dr. Feindel’s family.

In many pathologies of the nervous system, there is a common event - cells called microglia are activated from surveillant watchmen into fighters. Microglia are the immune cells of the nervous system, ingesting and destroying pathogens and damaged nerve cells. Until now little was known about the molecular mechanisms of microglia activation despite this being a critical process in the body.